I actually didn't have a prompt with this one- I just started writing and this is what came out. I hope you enjoy!

As always, thanks for all the love, and happy reading!

"Shit!" Natsu dodged behind a wall, avoiding yet another attack. His lungs hurt as he continued to try and draw in enough oxygen. They'd been fighting for what felt like hours with no signs of slowing down. If only he could get close he could end it, but as things stood...

"I wouldn't stop there," drawled a voice over the loud speaker as an axe embedded itself in the wall over his head. It was so close he could feel the blade pressed against his hair.

Natsu cursed again as he got to his feet and started to run again. Where was all this energy coming from? He'd always been able to outlast these skirmishes in the past, why couldn't he now?

"Ooo, that was a bad turn." A blast of sand hit him full in the face, the force of which peeled his skin away where he wasn't able to protect himself with his arms. He collapsed behind another wall, desperately trying to get the sand out of his eyes. "This is rather fun, isn't it? I wasn't sure this would work, but it seems like I chose your opponent well!"

Why are you doing this? he wanted to ask, but he didn't have enough air to speak. Back on his feet, he continued to make his way through the maze. All he had to do was make it to the middle, to her, and then this would be over.

"Ah ah ah, not that way." Natsu managed to stop himself as a wave of water crashed through the hall ahead of him, and the voice laughed loudly, mockingly, as he tripped over his feet. "Nice dodge!"

"Why! Are you... helping me?!" he growled as he ran back the way he'd come.

"I'm not ready for you to die just yet," the voice said. "This is the most entertained I've been in a very long time. It won't be nearly as satisfying trying this with anyone else, so I want to enjoy it as long as possible."

Natsu tried once more to enter dragon force, to cover himself in his scales so he could avoid all this dodging and just head straight for his target.

Once more he failed.

Whatever had been laced into his food, whatever had knocked him out so he could be dragged into this hellhole, was seriously messing with his abilities. He'd tried to create a small fire earlier and had set a whole corridor on fire. No matter what he did, he couldn't control his fire, so he had to do without. He didn't want to kill his target. Couldn't.

He'd rather impale himself on Gajeel's lance.

After dodging yet another sand attack, he took a turn that headed directly towards the middle. He was trying to follow his nose, but all the weird smells here were making it difficult. The unfamiliar scents of whoever had been here before, not to mention the chemicals from cleaning, the strange material the walls were made of, and the residue from the attacks.

The blood was the worst. He'd never smelt so much blood in one place before.

This time when the axe was thrown his way, he dodged it and barreled forward.

"That was a bad moOOOove." Taurus lifted his fists and smashed them down in front of him, barely missing him as his strength leaked out of him little by little.

"Why... are you... listening to her?" Natsu gasped, dodging another sloppy punch.

"We have toOOo," the spirit said, obviously upset. "We're sorry." He swung sideways, throwing Natsu down another hallway. As he stalked towards Natsu, the dragonslayer saw the spirit's eyes dart to the side a few times before he began to run towards him. Not needing to be told twice, Natsu got to his feet and dashed the way Taurus had signaled.

He followed the longest stretch yet without finding anyone to fight. He used the time to try and catch his breath and think.

The wizard they were fighting was a nearly S level ranked wizard, with magic that could completely take control of a person's mind. It wasn't magic they'd ever heard of before, especially as it was able to override the desires of the person she was controlling. Minor suggestions, sure, but to this level... it was unheard of.

Natsu nearly shouted with joy when he found what he was looking for. He skidded to a stop as he finally found the center.

Lucy stood in the middle of a large open field, surrounded by Virgo, Aries, and Gemini. She had all of her keys free from the ring, ready to switch at a moment's notice. When the spirits noticed him, they gestured for him to leave, but he just couldn't.

Not without Lucy.

As he stepped forward, he figured out what they were actually trying to warn him about. The ground gave way, dropping him into a perfectly hidden hole that had obviously been made by Virgo. He cursed as the space began to fill with pink wool and he was pushed out of the hole once more. Surrounded by Virgo's wool, he was unable to move, and he felt the calming effect tickle the back of his mind. Fortunately, he was still trying to catch his breath, and the pain in his lungs overrode that feelings.

"Let me... go," he gasped.

"I can't, I'm sorry!" Aries answered.

Natsu wanted to argue more, but he lost his train of thought as he finally looked up. "Lucy..."

Her eyes were blank, focused somewhere beyond him, her posture relaxed. Lucy dismissed Virgo and Gemini before carefully put her keys back on their ring. But her eyes...

Tear streamed down her expressionless face. They dripped off her chin, collecting in dark marks on her shirt. She must have been crying for a while, because the stain covered nearly her whole chest. Whatever was happening, Lucy was aware of it, and she clearly didn't want to do it.

"Lucy, stop this!" Natsu tried to reason with her. Tried to help her pull herself back out. "Don't make them do this! They can't disobey you, but you know they don't want to hurt me!

"They're your spirits, but they're also your friends, and you know they don't want to hurt me! You don't want to hurt me!" When she continued to ignore him, he tried a new tactic. "Which spirit are you going to choose? Who will you choose to saddle this heartache on.? Making them kill me?" A twitch, so slight he barely saw it, but he leaned into it.

"Would you really do that?" he shouted. "Make one of them live with killing someone who means so much to you? How will they ever look you in the eye again? How could you do that to them, forcing them to make so much heartache for you?!"

She clipped the ring back in place and raised a single key. "Open, gate of the Lion-"

"No!"

"-Leo!"

"Dammit, Lucy!" Natsu glared up at the sky. "Don't make her do this!"

The tears began to fall faster down Lucy's face as Loke appeared. He was obviously upset himself, as he searched around them.

"Loke, kill Na-" Lucy hiccupped so hard, Natsu was surprised she didn't fall over. Her mouth open and closed several times with nothing coming out. "Loke, kill-" She cut herself off again. Even with her expressionless face, Natsu could tell she was growing even more miserable.

"Loke, get me out!" Natsu growled. Loke dashed forward, understanding. He had not been given an order yet, so he could act how he saw fit until Lucy uttered the words.

"Loke, kill-" A sob this time. Followed by another.

"Stop that right now and kill him!" The voice over the loud speaker was shrill now, obviously upset by this change of events. "KILL HIM!"

Lucy was still sobbing. "Loke..."

"Loke!"

"Almost got it," Loke said.

Aries began to cry. "I'm so sorry!" The pink wool wrapped itself around Loke this time, rooting him still, as she fixed her hold on Natsu. "I was told not to let him out!"

Loke tried to get out. "Shit!"

Lucy had fallen to her knees, her face still blank, but the tears and sobs continued to come. She continued saying Loke's name, but she never finished the order.

Loke raised his still free arms. "Don't move!" He gathered enough light and then blasted the wool away, mostly freeing Natsu from his prison.

Aries' tears were also falling rather hard as she raised her hands to try to catch him again. "Loke!"

"I'm sorry, Aries!" Loke blasted her in the chest, just enough to send her back to the spirit world and leaving Natsu free to get to Lucy.

Lucy shot to her feet, a new key in her hand as she forced Loke's gate closed. "What...?" Natsu wasn't able to finish the thought before she summoned another spirit.

She pressed the key against her chest, into the puddle created by her tears. "Open, gate of the water bearer-"

"Oh, come on!" Natsu shouted.

"-Aquarius!"

"You brat!" Aquarius appeared, water already swirling around her. "What have I told you about getting creative about summoning me?!" The wave that appeared splashed against the walls, swirling around them and cocooning them in a large sphere. There was a shrieking sound and pop as the loud speakers became flooded and destroyed.

Aquarius looked Natsu's way. "Get her out of her before she does something really terrible."

"Aquarius, catch-" SPLASH! A wave hit Lucy in the chest, knocking her over and cutting off the order.

"Thank you, Aquarius." Natsu dashed forward, barely missing the crashing waves around him. When he got to her, the waves around Lucy stopped, allowing him to catch her in his embrace. "Finally got you."

"Aquarius-"

Natsu didn't give her the chance to finish the order. He slammed his mouth down on hers, sealing their lips together. Eyes open, he watched her face slowly redden, saw as she became more alive. The moment she finally managed to pull herself back, she closed her eyes and kissed him back. The thrill that went through him had him tearing up himself as he tightened his arms around her and continued the kiss.

The water around them became agitated. "Are you two quite done?"

Lucy pulled away, a huge grin on her face that contrasted sharply with the tears still streaming down her face. "Not by a long shot."

"For now, yes," Natsu corrected her and pulled her close for a hug. "Thank you, Aquarius."

"If you don't mind, I have plans with my boyfriend I'd like to get to," the spirit drawled.

"You ready?" Natsu asked, pulling away and holding Lucy's hand. "Let's get out of here."

"Oh hell no," Lucy said. "I've got a bone to pick with that woman, and I plan to give her a earful. I'm not leaving until we catch her."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Definitely." She squeezed his hand. "You wanna help?"

His answering grin was blinding. "Absolutely."

As soon as Aquarius disappeared, they were off, hand in hand and ready to deliver some much deserved punishment.

Because it was always more fun when they were together.